Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Spirit of Thunder
by Watcher321
Summary: Bulbasaur is rescued from Mt. Freeze without the pikachu companion with which he entered. As he tries to set life back to normal, strange storms begin to plague their land. Storms that almost seem to have... personality. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF POKEMON DEATH DON'T READ.
1. Ice

Hey all! I realize I've been inactive on this account and I'd like to apologize for that. I have not been idle, but unfortunately I'm putting my Digimon story on hold. I have thoughts to collect... anyway, I hope you Pokemon fans out there enjoy. I have several chapters done already, and they will be uploaded in the next few days. Review, follow, give feedback, criticize, anything you like other than stealing! Thank you!

 **I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE ORIGINAL POKEMON AND NINTENDO COMPANIES.**

 **Also, for those of you uncomfortable with the idea of Pokemon dying, this is not the story for you. Thanks again!**

A pair of small pokemon struggled through the driving snow, forcing their way through heavy drifts. A female Pikachu took the lead, red sacs crackling in discomfort as the storm drove on.

"Sala!" The following pokemon called. Bulbasaur bounded slowly through the heavy drifts, and stopped panting next to her. "We need to find shelter, I'm freezing!" It was true, Sala mused. The storm didn't let up, and the rampaging pokemon on Mt. Freeze had taken a huge toll on them. Sala's stamina band had only kept them going for so long, and they needed food. Bulbasaur's special band was in near shreds.

"We can't turn back, we might run into someone!" She called over the raging winds. "Let's try and find a cave, or an apple or something."

"I'd even take 'or something' right now." He grunted as they trekked on.

Sala and Bulbasaur kept climbing, the wind worsening as they progressed. They were nearing complete exhaustion as the peak appeared. Bulbasaur was shivering uncontrollably, and his Pikachu companion was close to it.

Eventually they reached an open area shielded by high cliffs. Bulbasaur sank into the snow and breathed a sigh of relief. "No more wind." He gasped, chuckling.

"Phew." Sala plopped onto her rear, lightning-shaped tail resting in the snow. "Here." She said. The pikachu popped open the toolbox slung around her shoulder and took out their only oran berry. It was all they found with everything covered in snow. Bulbasaur sliced the blue fruit in half, and they sat in silence, munching quietly.

"That's better." Bulbasaur sighed, resting his head. He looked up at Sala, who stared vacantly at a Kangaskhan statue rising from the snow.

"Sala?"

"…Are you sure about this, Bulbasaur?"

"What?"

Sala turned and stared sadly at him. "We're being hunted because I might be the human from the Legend of Ninetails, right?"

Bulbasaur swallowed. He still wasn't sure of the true answer. Then, that was why they were out here. "Yeah, so?"

She sighed. "You don't have to do this for me. I mean, what if I really am the human? I turned into a pokemon, and not even I remember why. Wouldn't that suggest we're doing all this in vain?"

Bulbasaur got up and glared at his friend. "Don't say that, Sala! I know you're not the human."

Sala smiled and scratched her head. "Thanks."

Bulbasaur was about to reply when an angry screech came from the sky. The both looked up to see a beautiful blue bird circling. It had a tail like ribbons and a blue crest of feathers on its head.

"You!" It cried, landing on the Kangaskhan statue. It gripped the stone head plate between the ears. "It's you who have done this! You brought this curse on my mountain!"

"Wha-what are you talking about!?" Bulbasaur gasped. 'We didn't do anything!"

"You are the cause of the warm temperature in my home!" It screeched. "I am Articuno, and I will destroy you!"

"Warm? You call this- Agh!" Bulbasaur flew backwards as Arcticuno hit him with a powerful gust. Sala turned to Arcticuno and shouted, "We didn't do anything! We're only passing through!" She palmed a gravel rock in her paw and chucked it at the legendary bird.

Articuno was too wound up to listen, and shrieked, "You shall pay!" Flapping its wings, Articuno threw Sala back, and then swooped down and dealt another hit.

"You leave Sala alone!" Bulbasaur yelled, lashing out with vine-whip. It hit Articuno squarely on the head. The great bird turned and smashed Bulbasaur's head into the snow.

"Take this! Thundershock!" Sala drew up the electricity stored in her cheeks and sent the bolt flying at the blue menace. "We went through both Zapdos and Moltres before this, what makes you think you can take us?" She challenged.

Articuno dodged it and shrieked in fury. "You insolent brats! Feel the wrath of my blizzard!" Sala felt herself be thrown back, and cried "Bulbasaur!" as the world turned white.


	2. Lightning

Alakazam lifted a TM from the ground using his telekinesis and stored it in team A. ' toolbox. In front of himself and Tyrannitar, Charizard sniffed at the ground, his fiery tail waving behind him.

"They definitely went this way." The fire-dragon growled.

"Those kids are impressive." Tyranitar mused. "Team Meanies, Team Fakers, even Team Hydro. Nobody can keep up."

"Except us." Charizard growled. He punched a fist into his palm. "I can't wait for a good fight."

"Then we better keep moving." Alakazam cautioned. Privately, he didn't want to be hunting such young pokemon, and with such potential as well! He had been amazed to arrive at Mt. Thunder and find that Sala and Bulbasaur had defeated Zapdos. The bird of lightning had implied it went easy on them, but nonetheless…

"It's for the good of the world, Alakazam." Tyranitar woke him from his flashback by placing a clawed hand on his shoulder. He seemed to know what Alakazam had been thinking.

"Hurry up!" Charizard snarled from further down the path. The flying lizard shot fire into the air for emphasis and took to the skies. Alakazam followed Charizard from the ground as they carried on.

The sun burned hot as they trekked the slopes of Mt. Freeze. Even the chilly air seemed slightly less so than it should be.

"So it's reached even here…" Tyranitar mumbled, stopping to look at a small flower blooming in the midst of freshly melted snow.

"Unusual weather for Mt. Freeze, to say the least." Charizard agreed. Alakazam remained silent.

They scaled the mountain with no true difficulty. The peak was colder than the slopes, yet still warm enough for some slush. Soon dusk fell, then night. Tyranitar guided the way into a sheltered clearing. A large Kangaskhan statue stood in the center, glistening with wet snow.

"Looks like a storm is coming, let's stop here." Charizard suggested, raising his flaming tail to light the area while he pointed towards the darkening clouds.

"Hmm…" Alakazam grunted slowly, and held up his hand. "Hold on. I sense something."

"What-" Tyranitar began to ask, but then closed his mouth to let Alakazam do his thing.

Once the silence had settled along with the dark of night, all three could feel it. Electricity crackled through the air, and Tyrannitar knew that if he had hair it would be standing up. Everything was still as the air buzzed around them. Charizard's tail flame flickered on the wall.

"There." Alakazam opened his eyes and pointed to a large drift.

"If they want a fight…" Charizard snarled, punching his palm again.

Tyranitar moved forward to where the electricity seemed to originate inside the snow drift. Using a heavily armored hand, he brushed the snow away and revealed a pathetic-looking Pikachu lying there. Her ears flopped to the ground, and she lay sprawled on her stomach. Electricity sparked from her red cheek pouches.

"Is it…?" Alakazam asked. Tyranitar held up a small badge with yellow ribbon. "It's Team Thunder's rescue badge. This is Sala."

Alakazam moved closer, ignoring the prickling feeling the electricity caused on his skin. Sala's stamina band was in tatters, and she looked as if she had taken a beating.

"Let's go-" Charizard stopped. Volts crackled through the air as Sala raised her head, looking strained. One shocked Alakazam's cheek.

"You-" Charizard seemed ready to fight, but Alakazam raised his yellow hand. The fiery lizard looked annoyed at being cut off twice.

"…Ala…kazam." Sala seemed to choke. She began trying to fire weak thundershocks at the cliff. "Help… Bulbasaur…" She croaked out.

Charizard lifted off the ground and landed again, fishing through the snow. He eventually brought up a half-frozen green reptile. There was a large bulb on its back… Bulbasaur.

"He… he doesn't… deserve…" Sala's head fell again, and there was a large discharge from her cheeks. The air prickled and cracked, and then all fell silent.

The trio looked at each other wordlessly, Charizard caressing Bulbasaur in a way Alakazam had almost never seen the aggressive fire-type dragon demonstrate. The silence lasted even as the crackling in the air faded away.

"So what now?" Tyranitar finally asked.

Alakazam sighed heavily. "The town agreed that anyone who followed Sala was to be eliminated with her." He turned to his teammates. "But Sala was also right. Bulbasaur caused none of this, and deserves none of it as well. We will take him back and help him best we can."

Charizard and Tyranitar both nodded silently, and Charizard once again took to the sky for their voyage home. Tyrannitar stopped, feeling guilt worm into his stomch, and looked back at the little yellow pokemon. "Shouldn't we bury her?"

"I'm afraid the ground here is all stone; and we cannot afford the time." Alakazam said sombrely. Tyrannitar took another look back, and then the huge ground-type hurried to catch up with his teammates.

Behind them, thunder rolled and lightning struck the powdered snow.


	3. Storms

Thunder rumbled in the pitch-black clouds, and lightning shook the sky. The citizens of Pokemon Square hunkered down in their warm and cozy houses, listening to the roar of rain on the thatched rooftops.

"How's it looking out there?" Keckleon asked his purple brother. The purple lizard turned from their window.

"No letting up any time soon; it's a good thing you brought our valuables inside."

"Heh, not much good it'll do if this rain keeps up." Both Keckleon looked up at the growing dark spot in the hay ceiling. It would burst soon.

Suddenly, a ripping sound tore the night, followed by a crash as if a roof were being carried away. Shrieks pierced the air and both lizards ran outside into the cold, wet, chaotic world.

Weeks passed. Bulbasaur was slowly warming up in Team A. ' base, but had yet to reawaken. Alakazam was meditating in the air in a field in front of their base located deep in the woods. Tyranitar came quietly up beside him and sat patiently in the grass.

"Yes?" Alakazam opened his eyes and set himself down on the ground.

"It's about Sala." The great green lizard blurted out, scratching the scales on his arm with a clawed paw. Alakazam turned his head towards Tyranitar, interested now.

"What are you thinking?

"You know you don't need to ask me that." Tyranitar laughed, tapping his friend's yellow head.

"It helps make conversation." He chuckled lightly. When he turned back to his reptilian friend, he could see Tyranitar's joking mood had quickly evaporated, and the atmosphere felt somber. This was not like his friend at all.

"You see…" Tyranitar began. "What if we did the wrong thing?"

"You think so?" The psychic pokemon asked. He had been wondering the same thing, but admittedly, had denied it. They'd been a gold-rank team so long they had kind of gotten out of practice when it came to messing up.

"I know so!" The dark-type monster burst out. "The earthquakes have only gotten worse, and now we've been having terrible storms as well. Sala couldn't have been the cause of all this if it's still going on!"

Alakazam took his friends paws in his hand to stop him from scratching himself, his claws were too sharp for such a habit. He preferred telekinesis over physical contact, but he felt the gesture would calm Tyranitar down. The scales he had been scratching were red and irritated.

"Tyrannitar, what's done has been done. We need to learn from this and move forward."

Tyranitar couldn't respond, as just then Charizard called from the doorway of their large base, "Guys! Bulbasaur's waking up!"

Tyranitar was last into the spare room where Bulbasaur had been monitored the past few weeks. The little green lizard was mumbling and shifting on a straw bed. Tyranitar stepped forward cautiously and stroked the pokemon's bulb. "Bulbasaur?"

"Aagh!" Bulbasaur jumped almost three feet before looking at his surroundings. "Alakazam… what are you guys doing here?" He gasped, catching his breath.

"We live here." Charizard told him, only to receive a light mega-punch in the shoulder from Tyranitar. "Ow-what?"

Bulbasaur caught the hint, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Ooh! I'm in Team A.C.T's base, aren't I?" He squealed. "Does Sala know? Where is she? I gotta tell her!"

Alakazam, Charizard and Tyranitar all fidgeted and looked at each other uncomfortably. "What's wrong?" Bulbasaur asked, attempting to sit up on his hind legs to get closer to the height of the three pokemon. "Where's Sala? Is she alright?" His voice quavered.

Alakazam finally sat himself down and gave Bulbasaur a comforting scratch behind the ear. "No." He sighed heavily. "She died on the mountain top."

Bulbasaur gaped at him with huge, watering eyes, and flopped down on the straw bed. He closed his eyes tightly as tears leaked out. Alakazam motioned for Tyranitar and Charizard to leave. Charizard left, but Tyranitar shook his head silently and settled himself down.

The little green lizard was sobbing now, and his body heaved as he clawed at the straw. "Why-Why!?" He gasped, opening his eyes and looking at Alakazam. "She-she never did anything!" He sobbed some more, and Tyranitar and Alakazam looked at each other with lost expressions.

Suddenly, Bulbasaur opened his eyes again, and grief seemed to turn to rage. "You!" He sobbed. "You killed her! You drove her away!" He unleashed a flurry of lashing vines at Alakazam from under his bulb.

Alakazam used Protect rapidly and the attack bounced harmlessly off. He gently took Bulbasaur's claws in his yellow hands and said quietly, "We're sorry, Bulbasaur. Sala had just died when we found you."

"But-but…" The grass-type starter sniffled. "But what'll I do now?" Alakazam sighed heavily. "I don't know. It's up to you." He stood up. "You can stay here as long as you need." With that, Alakazam left the room. Tyrannitar stood and bent to give Bulbasaur a sympathetic pat on the head before he, too, left.

He must have sat there for hours, poor Bulbasaur. He sat numbly and wondered how it had all happened. He tried to remember, but all he could recall was freezing wind and a blast of ice. Finally, Bulbasaur straightened himself and stepped off the bed of hay.

"Sala wouldn't want me to quit now." He muttered. "I won't. Our rescue team will go on!"

He wandered some time through the halls of Team ACTs base. It was much more well-equiped and official than their dingy, one-room hut. _No,_ my _dingy, one-room hut._ The thought brought another flood of tears to his eyes.

The halls were relatively blank, and Bulbasaur passed several locked doors. He eventually came to a spiral staircase leading up, which he took carefully. His squat, awkward form was somewhat difficult to maneuver on the steps leading into an upwards spiral, but it was much easier than climbing Mt. Freeze.

Mount Freeze.

Bulbasaur was very quickly developing a hatred for the place.

A hatred for snow.

A hatred for Arcticuno.

Arcticuno!

It all came flooding back. The melting snow, the frigid air, Arcticuno's fury. All of it came back in a rush of emotion. Bulbasaur felt as if the freezing rush of ice and snow had knocked him off his feet all over again.

He promptly dropped to the ground and fainted.


	4. Return

Hey! :) I'd like to apologize for kind of rushing through this one, but some interesting chapters are coming up and I want to get to them ^^

"Ouch…" Bulbasaur winced as he tried to lift a foot to his blurred and sticky eyes. He could feel hay underneath him, and assumed he had been returned to his bed.

"Welcome back."

"What happened?" The little green lizard looked up into the blunt snout of Tyrannitar.

"Actually… I think you fainted." The large dragon-like creature scratched his scales with a clawed hand.

"Then why do I hurt so bad?"

"Probably because you fell down the stairs."

"Oh…"

They sat in a thick and awkward silence while Bulbasaur attempted to process what he had been trying to do before waking up.

"Sorry…" The grass-type pokemon began.

"For what?" Tyranitar seemed distant.

"I dunno, just for being so-so…" He groped for a word. "Helpless."

Tyranitar got up from where he had been sitting be the hay pile and gently lifted Bulbasaur so he was standing on his feet. "Don't. You're not helpless. You know it, and I know it. You're traumatized, and you'll get over it."

Glistening tears began to well up in Bulbasaur's eyes, and the huge pokemon immediately gave himself a mental smack for referencing _it._

"I guess I'd better get going." Bulbasaur sighed. He took a step forward only to find himself blocked by Tyranitar.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Concern was obvious in the armor pokemon's small black eyes.

"I'm fine!"

"You need to rest, your team…"

"We are Team Thunder!" Bulbasaur snapped. "And I need to see my teammates!" Maybe they could find a way to bring Sala back… surely Xatu could find a way. It was no use staying in this isolated prison.

Tyrannitar narrowed his eyes, did a double-take, and sighed heavily. "Turn right and go up the stairs. Follow the road until you reach a fork, then take the path on the right. Pokemon Square will be a mile ahead."

Bulbasaur thanked him and waddled away, feeling slightly guilty at his sudden outburst. After all, Tyrannitar meant no harm. It pained his chest to hurt a fellow rescue-teamer.

The huge dark lizard watched Bulbasaur leave through the door with thoughtful eyes, and absently scratched the scales on his right arm. Suddenly his clawed hand glowed with blue, telekinetic light, and he found Alakazam standing next to him, looking straight ahead. The psychic Pokemon lifted his companion's hand from the green scales scratched tender by razor-sharp claws.

Bulbasaur trotted down the road, relishing the sunlight that had not warmed his skin for many weeks. Flocks of Pidgey were conversing in the great oak trees, and Metapod sat silently, content to watch the world move around them. The small green lizard stopped to examine one which looked quite strange, colored bright orange rather than the rich, well-camouflaged green that was typical of the species.

Soon enough he came to the fork described by Tyrannitar, looking furtively at the left side before heading right. Thoughts of what lay down the other path wormed into his mind as he slowly realized that nobody had ever mentioned a road in that location.

As Bulbasaur wondered, he wondered if the path led to any unmapped dungeons. Thoughts of dungeons brought him back to Mount Freeze. The sunlight seemed to draw away as memories of Mount Freeze began to pop in unbidden. The bulb on Bulbasaur's back felt heavy and cold as realization gripped him. Sala was gone. He would lead their team alone now.

He froze in the path as nausea made the ground sway. Bulbasaur shook his head vigorously and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Sala couldn't be gone. He wouldn't give up like that; maybe Zatu could help him.

Bulbasaur left the glimmering and patchy shade of the forest and stepped into the sprawling town of Pokemon Square.


	5. Home

Hello amazing people! Sorry this took so long, finals have come and gone. The buildup for this story took longer than I intended, but we'll finally be heating things up next chapter! Review, follow, and ENJOY!

The first thing Bulbasaur noticed was that he had emerged from a little-known path leading behind Whiscash Lake. He also noticed that there were two small Pokemon standing on a flat rock island in the middle of the lake. A Whiscash floated in the water in front of them.

The smallest, a Caterpie, noticed him first. "Bulbasaur!" He cried with joy, and all of them turned to look at him. The old Whiscash turned his flat back towards the two kids. "Hop on, everyone!" He cried, and before he knew it Caterpie, Metapod and Whiscash were were swarming Bulbasaur at the edge of the lake where he stood.

"Bulbasaur, you're okay!" Caterpie chirped.

"Welcome back, youngster." The old whiscash smiled.

"I hope you're feeling okay." Metapod crooned.

Bulbasaur stumbled back from the overflow of affection momentarily. "Th-thanks, guys." He croaked, but even as he said so the conversation seemed… off. Nobody would look at him directly, and they were dipping their words in a thick covering of sugar gummies.

Bulbasaur stumbled through the square with deaf ears. He hated the sunshine, so bright and happy…

"Welcome back, Bulbasaur!" Wigglytuff cried.

"Ssoo pleased to see you." Persian purred, sidling up to him. "I want you to understand that all your teams savings have been guarded like a precious egg." The cat's sly eyes twinkled friendly.

"Bulbasaur, we've been saving up apples for your team!" The Kecleon brothers cried in unison from their counter. Gulpin mentioned something, but Bulbasaur was no longer listening.

Suddenly a shadow blocked his way.

"I'm terribly sorry, Bulbasaur." Kangaskhan rumbled soothingly. "Alakazam told us the minute you'd arrived." She patted the large green bulb on his back and trundled away, her baby sucking its thumb in her pouch.

Bulbasaur simply nodded numbly and crossed the bridge that hung over the gurgling stream. Sala had loved the sound of that stream…

Voices up ahead cut him out of his melancholy, and Bulbasaur stopped and looked up sharply. Crowded around Sala's thatched roof hut were about nine different Pokemon. All conversation ceased when he came into view.

All of their small rescue team lined up quietly, allowing Bulbasaur passage into the hut. They stroked his scales and murmured soothing condolences. At one point their Poochyena, whom Sala had nicknamed "Yena," broke down in tears and was silently led away.

Bulbasaur thanked each of them numbly and settled into the straw bed of Sala's… no, _his_ hut. It was all too much to comprehend. Time had flown so fast- he hadn't even been awake for most of it. Eventually his team dispersed; all except Zaggy.

The zigzagoon smiled softly and came to sit beside him. Bulbasaur tried to shoo her away, but she refused to budge, and eventually Bulbasaur fell deep in sleep.

The first thing he noticed on waking was that the roof, untended for many months, had started to leak. Rain drummed steadily outside the windows, and Bulbasaur grunted and stretched out a long, slender vine to drag a bucket under the dripping roof.

The door opened and Zaggy entered soaked through. She stopped and thoroughly shook out her tan-and-brown fur.

"Welcome back. I was just chasing away the neighbors." She grinned mischievously. Bulbasaur stared, his vine still stretched. He quickly recovered his gaping mouth and grabbed the bucket he's been going for.

"Yeah, I know, I don't leave my home very much." Zaggy chuckled lightly. "But I was appointed by the team to guard you."

"Uhh… guard me from what, exactly?" Bulbasaur questioned. He shook his head lightly. The nostalgically familiar environment was making him dizzy. Suddenly, the windows flashed and were immediately followed with a deafening _clap._ Howls rose from the town square, and the sudden high wind threatened to sweep away the hut.

"From _that._ Quickly!" The zigzaggoon dashed from the little shack and left Bulbasaur racing to catch up.


End file.
